Infernal Nasus

First time I saw Infernal Nasus load into a game I thought it was a different champion. Not even joking. The silhouette, the flames, the sheer size of the model when you stack that R up. Been maining Nasus on and off since season 3 and this skin changed how I felt about the champion entirely. Something about turning into a giant fire demon just hits different than a regular dog man bonking people with a cane.

What Infernal Nasus actually brings to the table

This is a full Legendary. New model, new animations, new VFX on every ability, new voice lines, new recall. The whole package. Nasus goes from Egyptian jackal deity to straight-up infernal overlord dripping lava and fire from every surface. The base model alone is worth talking about: dark volcanic armor, molten cracks running through the body, and that staff looks like it was pulled out of a volcano.

Q is where you feel it the most. Every Siphoning Strike lands with this heavy fiery impact, and when you’re at 400+ stacks late-game just deleting towers, the visual weight matches the damage. Satisfying. W throws down a burning circle that honestly reads cleaner than base Nasus wither. Could be wrong here but I think the particle clarity actually helps you track the slow zone better in teamfights.

E, Spirit Fire, becomes this erupting lava pool. Looks brutal in lane when you drop it on the wave. The damage zone is distinct and the animation sells the “standing in literal fire” fantasy. Used it to zone their ADC off dragon pit last Thursday and my support pinged the skin appreciatively. Small things.

R though. Fury of the Sands on Infernal Nasus is probably the best ultimate transformation in the game from that era. Nasus grows massive, flames intensify, the ground cracks beneath him. You pop R and walk at the backline and people genuinely panic. Played maybe 150 games with this skin and the R transformation still doesnt get old. The intimidation factor in solo queue is real, especially when you’re splitting bot lane and two people have to come answer you.

The voice lines deserve their own mention. Erik Todd Dellums voices this version and the performance is threatening in a way base Nasus isn’t. Base Nasus sounds philosophical. Infernal Nasus sounds like he’s going to burn your nexus down and enjoy it. Lines about fire and destruction delivered in this deep rumbling tone. (Random aside: I’ve had this voice line “burn” as my notification sound for like two years now and it still startles people.) The recall animation has him summoning pillars of flame. Clean work.

The Infernal line and where this skin sits

Released November 20, 2013. Season 3. Bo Lu nailed the splash, the composition with Nasus emerging from flames with that massive staff raised is iconic for the era. The Infernal skinline is one of Riot’s oldest thematic sets and Nasus was one of the early entries that defined what the line could be. Fire demons, volcanic armor, apocalyptic vibes.

No chromas on this one. Legendary pricing at 1820 RP and Riot didn’t do chromas for Legendaries back then. Honestly I think the base color scheme works perfectly anyway. The dark charcoal armor with orange-red molten veins is exactly what you want from an Infernal skin. Shop has it, permanent availability, so no vault anxiety.

The Infernal line has expanded a lot since 2013. Infernal Diana, Infernal Varus, Infernal Akali, bunch of others. Not gonna lie, Nasus still holds up as one of the best executions in the set. The thematic just fits him naturally. Big slow juggernaut who becomes an unstoppable force late-game, now wrapped in literal hellfire. The fantasy writes itself.

For context on the era: this dropped right around when Legendaries were establishing what the tier meant. 1820 RP for a complete overhaul. Season 3 or 4 I think, the expectations were different. Some Legendaries from that period aged rough. Infernal Nasus aged well because the core design is strong and Nasus’s kit hasn’t changed much.

How it plays in Diamond games

Gameplay-wise this skin feels heavier than base. Placebo probably but the Q animation has this weight to it that makes stacking feel more rewarding. Been running this in Diamond for multiple seasons and I swear my cs numbers are slightly better because the visual feedback is crisper. Kinda feels like the auto attack animation is smoother on the wind-up too.

Spammed this for like 23 games in a row one weekend during season 12. Nasus into everything. Top lane, scaling, ignoring the enemy laner pre-6, stacking Q, then becoming unkillable post-Sheen. The skin makes the whole “I’m going to ignore you for 20 minutes and then one-shot your tower” gameplan feel dramatic instead of boring. You’re not just a farming dog. You’re a farming fire demon. Big difference psychologically.

One thing I notice in teamfights: the R particle effects can get busy when there’s a lot going on. Not a dealbreaker but in a five-person engage around baron with abilities flying everywhere, Infernal Nasus R plus Spirit Fire plus a bunch of other particles gets noisy. Fair warning for anyone who gets distracted by visual clutter.

Real verdict on Infernal Nasus

Should you buy it? If you play Nasus at all, yes. Full stop. This is the Nasus skin. Armored Titan is nice, Space Groove is fun for the meme factor, but Infernal Nasus is the definitive power fantasy for the champion. The voice lines carry hard, the VFX upgrade every ability meaningfully, and the R transformation is S-tier for champion skins from any era.

1820 RP well spent for mains. Even if you only play Nasus occasionally in ranked when the matchup is free, this skin makes those games feel special. Real talk though, if you’re a dedicated one-trick stacking Q in every game, not owning this is borderline trolling. Maybe just my experience but every Nasus main I’ve run into in high Diamond or above locks in Infernal. There’s a reason. Best Nasus skin full stop, and one of the better Legendaries Riot has made considering it’s from 2013. The fact that it still competes with modern releases says everything.